Who
is the Messiah of the Bible? Is the Messiah of the Bible and the
Messiah of Judaism the same? This discussion has been roaring for the
last 2000 years. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah of the Bible, and yet
was rejected by the Jewish Priesthood and crucified by the Romans.

Judaism today still rejects Jesus as Messiah, because he
failed to fulfill the role Messiah was to play according to the
tradition of Scribes, Pharisees, Sanhedrin and
Priesthood. According to Maimonides the Messiah should not
die, as in the case of Bar Kokhba, who claimed title to the role
of Messiah and was proclaimed such by Rabbi Akiba and died in
battle.

And think not that Messiah must perform signs and portents
and bring about new things in the world, or that he will resuscitate the
dead, or the like. Not so. For, behold, R. Akiba was one of the greatest
sages of the Mishna, and he was a follower of King Ben Koziba [Bar
Kokhba], and he said about him that he was King Messiah…..As soon as he
was slain it became evident to them that he was not the Messiah.[1]

The death of someone claiming to be Messiah, was evidence to the
rabbis, Bar Kokhba was not the Messiah. To this day, Judaism has
certain qualifications regarding the Messiah, Maimonides attempts
delineate what is expected of the Messiah in his work, the Mishne
Torah[2].
Among other points, he lists the following as signs of Messiah.(See the
Messiah of Judaism)

Restore the throne
of David

Rebuild the Temple

Gather the exiles

Be a descendent of
David

He does not have to
perform signs or wonders

Judaism today, for the most part is descended from Rabbinical
Judaism. Jews when trying to understand who the Messiah should be,
look to the writings of their forefathers, the sages of the Rabbinical
Period. Sages such as Rabbi Akiba (40-135 A.D.), Gamaliel I
(A.D. 50),
Judah ha-Nasi (the Prince,135-220
A.D.), Rabbi Shlomo Yitzḥaqi
(Rashi, 1040-1105 A.D.) and Moses Maimonides (1135-1204 A.D.)
defined Judaism and its view of who the Messiah would be. Rabbinical
Judaism agreed with their forefathers, who rejected Jesus as Messiah.

Were the Rabbis wrong?

It might be easy to conclude, if Rabbis rejected Jesus, they
should know best, aren’t they experts of the Hebrew Bible? Being an
expert does not mean you are always right, using this very same method
of biblical understanding, the greatest sage of his day Akiba,
incorrectly concluded Bar Kokbha was the Messiah. Using the
Zohar, and rabbinical understanding many Jews would also later
conclude, Sabbatai Zvei (1626-1726) is the long awaited Messiah.
Most recently, many Talmudic and Torah Scholars of the Lubavich,
an Orthodox Jewish sect with more then 200,000 followers, had trusted in
the Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994) as the Messiah. From
these examples, its clear even the experts have been wrong more then
once.

Are these same experts wrong about Jesus? Is there
understanding about the Messiah, the Messiah of Judaism,
different from the Messiah of the Bible? Within the pages of the
Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh the prophets foretold the coming of the
Messiah. Using the Hebrew Bible and the Oral Tradition, the Rabbis tried
to understand who the Messiah was, and what he would do. In doing so,
they reject Jesus, but is their rejection of Jesus according to the
Bible or according to tradition?

Two Messiahs or One?

Within scripture there are two pictures of Messiah, one
picture is of a “Suffering Servant” who dies and is rejected by his
people, the other is a “Conquering King” who sits on the throne of David
ruling over the nations. Rabbinical Judaism has dealt with these two
pictures by identifying two separate individuals, one called Messiah
ben Joseph (Son of Joseph) the other, Messiah ben David (Son
of David).

Christianity on the other hand has identified one Messiah,
Yeshua, (Jesus) who is the son of David, who died and suffered for
our sins and will return in glory and power as King of Kings. One
Messiah who fulfills two roles, the first role is Redeemer, who dies for
our sins, as our sacrifice, the suffering servant (Isaiah 53, Daniel
9:26), the
second, as our conquering king. As King, he conquers the nations,
sitting on David’s throne, judging and ruling the earth (Psalm 2).
Jesus at his second coming comes on the clouds in glory and power as
foretold in the book of Daniel (Daniel 7:13).

Rabbinical Errors

The Rabbinical understanding of Messiah has erred in
depending on the tradition of the Rabbis who came before them, rather
then relying on scripture. Rabbi Akiba for example erred in
seeing Bar Kokhba as messiah, he failed both in the test and role
of prophet. He hailed Bar Kokhba as Israel’s Messiah, and
proved to be false, yet his words are elevated in Judaism.

Books such as the Zohar are treated within Judaism as
inspired, rather then rejected as false prophecy. Two false-messiahs,
Sabbati Zvei and Jacob Frank both relied heavily on the
Zohar and Kabbalah as their source to circumvent biblical
Messianic prophecy. This way many were deceived in Israel.

The foundation of the Zohar is based on spurious
writings by one Rabbi Akiba disciples, Simeon ben Yoḥai (2nd century AD) who claims mystical powers. The
authorship was in fact, Moses de León (1250–1305) of Spain.
Rather then relying on scripture as the source, the rabbinical sages
have added the Oral tradition to scripture, the Mishna and the
Talmuds (Babylonian and Palestinian). In this way many of the
prophecies clearly pointing to Yeshua as the fulfilled Messiah, are
clouded because the reader of Judaism sees them through the eyes of
rabbinical Judaism which relies on Oral tradition, and the tradition of
the fathers.

Christian and Jewish
views of Messiah

In many ways the Jewish understand of Messiah is similar to
the Christian. There are three main differences between Jewish and
Christian views on Messiah, his nature, suffering and appearing..

1.
Is Messiah just man or God and man?

2.
Would Messiah be suffering servant, and die for the sins of humanity?

3.
Would Messiah come two times, the first time as suffering servant who
dies, and the second time as ruler of the earth?

The word for “Messiah comes from the Hebrew root word, “Msh” which to
“touch lightly” or “rub with oil” This word is applied to Priests
(Exodus 28:41), Kings (I Kings 19:16), and Prophets (I Samuel 12:5) who
were chosen by God to accomplish specific tasks. In fact, the foreign
King Cyrus of Persia is addressed as “Anointed”.

"Thus says
the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-To
subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before
him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:Isaiah
45:1

Here Cyrus, chosen by God subdues the nations and he would later allow
the exiles from Babylon return home and the Temple to be rebuilt. David
calls Saul “the Lord’s anointed” (I Samuel 24:6). Therefore, in one
sense there are many anointed of the Lord, or messiah(s) people
specifically chosen by God, to accomplish specific tasks. The term
also has a very specific and individual meaning.

The Bible talks of a future King who will rule the Earth for eternity.
This King is “Anointed” or chosen to fulfill this specific task. In
Second Samuel 7, we have information about this individual’s family
line.

"since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and
have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord tells you
that He will make you a house.12 "When your days are fulfilled and you
rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come
from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a
house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever. 14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If
he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the
blows of the sons of men. 15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as
I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 "And your house
and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your
throne shall be established forever." '
2 Samuel 7:11-16

Here the prophet Nathan tells David that from his family line will come,
a “Son of Man”, a “Seed of the Women” who will have the
throne of David, and an eternal kingdom that will be established
forever. This “Son of Man” would also be a “Son of David”,
therefore this person will be “Anointed” or chosen by God for a specific
purpose. This individual in Judaism is “Messiah[4]”
Son of David.

The Qualifications of
Messiah

Beginning in the third chapter of Genesis, we are given specific
information about this coming, “Seed of the Women” through progressive
revelation. With each qualification, the search narrows until the
potential candidates become very narrow in scope.
For example, currently the population of the earth is 6.3
Billion people. If you were talking to some one without knowing
anything about them except 3 items, could you find someone out of the
6.3 Billion? You could specify a time, place and article of
clothing.

By
using, these 3 specific qualifiers we are able eliminate just about
anybody from equation. Except for person who meet the qualifiers and the
person who knew the qualifiers, everybody would be outside the loop on
the meeting.

In this same manner, through the prophets of Israel
was the Messiah qualified. Specific information about Him, information
spanning the generations of humankind was revealed in the scripture, so
Israel would recognize their Messiah. The Bible demonstrates its
“Supernatural source” with “Supernatural objective evidence”. Evidence
outside the scope of the natural realm is supernatural in nature.

5
Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to
pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done
them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded
them.’ Isaiah 48:5

9Remember the former things of old, For I am
God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is
none like Me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ Isaiah 46:9,10

With “Supernatural prophetic” utterances God has qualified His Messiah.
Specific characteristics revealed between 1500 to 425 years[5]
before his birth, narrowed the search for God’s chosen Messiah from the
billions who would be born throughout the history of creation, to just
one person. The man Yeshua HaMessiah (Jesus) is the only person who ever
lived who could fulfill the qualifications.

His Sex:
“Son of Man” 50% of the population of those who have ever lived.

His place of Birth:
Bethlehem of Eprahatah 99.9..999% of Humans born in the world
eliminated.

His time of death:
End of
483 Jewish Years following command to rebuild Jerusalem,
March/April. (See 70 Weeks of Daniel Class 6)

Description of
death:
Pierced, whipped, innocent of crime

· Specific events:After his death Temple destroyed and City destroyed

Through these qualifiers alone just about every human being, who ever
lived is eliminated from the possibility of being the Messiah chosen by
God, who was to be King, Judge and Priest over the Earth.

The Jewish understanding of the
Biblical Messiah

Sometimes in their effort to disprove Yeshua as Messiah, some
anti-Yeshua groups, try to run from their own rabbinic comments on
Messianic prophecy. For example its not uncommon to hear that the 2nd
Psalm was never applied to the Messiah. This is not true, and is
contradicted in the Talmud itself, as Psalm 2 is applied to the Messiah
in very clear sense. Below are verses from the Tanakh, which were
fulfilled by Yeshua, and comments from Rabbinical sources which viewed
many of these very same verses, as referring to the coming of the
Messiah.

Scripture

Fulfillment

Rabbinical Comments

Born of a Women

And
I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your
seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall
bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15

The Messiah
would be a descendent of humanity through women. The title
Jesus used more then any other was Son of Man, taken from Daniel
7:13 in a Messianic context. (Gal. 4:4, Heb 2:14, Mat. 20 :28)

This
well-known passage is paraphrased, with express reference to the
Messiah, in the Targum Pseudo Jonathan and the so-called
Jerusalem Targum. Schöttgen conjectures that the Talmudic
designation of 'heels of the Messiah' (Sot. 49 b, line 2
from top) in reference to the near Advent of the Messiah in the
description of the troubles of those days (comp. St. Matt. x.
35, 36) may have been chosen partly with a view to this passage.
(Edersheim)[6]

Descendent of
Abraham

I
will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses
you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
Genesis 12:3

The Messiah was
promised to come through the line of Abraham who was the
forefather of David. Through Abraham, all the nations would be
blessed, because through him comes the Messiah will redeem the
nations. Matthew (1:1; Gal. 3:8,16)

Blessing to the
Gentiles

"In
your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because
you have obeyed My voice." Genesis 22:18

Abraham obeyed
God by willingly offering up his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah, which
God prevented. God then provided his own sacrifice, a ram, in
place of Isaac. Through Abraham’s obedience all the nations of
the earth would blessed by his descendent, the Messiah, who
would also obey. (Gal. 3:8,16;Heb. 6:14)

The promise
in Gen. xxii. 18 is also explained Messianically
in Bemid. R. 2 (ed. W. P. 5 b), in connection with Num.
ii. 32 where it is somewhat curiously shown in what sense Israel
is to be like the sand of the sea.

(Edersheim)

Of the Tribe of
Judah

The
scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between
his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience
of the people. Genesis 49:10

This verse is
clearly Messianic and is understood that way by the rabbinical
writers. The scepter is a sign of authority. Judah
was the forefather through which king David came, who was in the
line of Messiah. Judah will remain in power, of Israel until
the Messiah comes. After Jesus came and was rejected, Jerusalem
was destroyed 37 years later by the armies. Unto “Him” refers
to the future submission of the nations to king Messiah, a
descendent of Judah.

(Revelation 5:5)

Gen.
xlix. 10. This well-known prediction (on which see the
full and interesting discussion in Raym. Martini,
Pugio Fidei) is in Yalkut, u. s., applied to the Messiah, with a
quotation of Ps. ii. 9. This expression 'Shiloh' is also applied
to the Messiah, with the curious addition, that in the latter
days all nations would bring gifts to Him. Alike the Targum
Onkelos, Pseudo-Jonathan, and the Jerusalem Targum, as well as
Sanh. 98 b, the Midrash on the passage, and that on Prov.
xix. 21, and on Lam. i. 16, where it is rendered shelo,
'whose it is,' refer the expression 'Shiloh,' and, indeed, the
whole passage, to the Messiah; the Midrash Ber. R. (99, ed.
Warsh. p. 178 b) with special reference to Is. xi. 10,
while the promise with reference to the ass's colt is brought
into connection with Zech. ix. 9, the fulfilment of this
prophecy being expected along with that in Ezek. xxxvi. 25 ('I
will sprinkle clean water'). Another remarkable statement occurs
in the Midrash on the passage (Ber. R. 98, ed. Warsh. p. 174
b), which applies the verse to the coming of Him of Whom it
is written, Zech. ix. 9. Then He would wash his garment in wine
(Gen. xlix. 11), which is explained as meaning the teaching of
the Law to Israel, and His clothes in the blood of grapes, which
is explained as meaning that He would bring them back from their
errors. One of the Rabbis, however, remarks that Israel would not require to be
taught by the King Messiah in the latter days, since it was
written (Is. xi. 10), 'to it shall the Gentiles seek.' If so,
then why should the Messiah. come, and what will He do to the
congregation of Israel? He will redeem Israel, and give them
thirty commandments, according to Zech. xi. 12. The Targum
Pseudo-Jon. and the Jer. Targum also apply verse 11 to
the Messiah. Indeed, so general was this interpretation, that,
according popular opinion, to see a palm-tree in one's dreams
was to see the days of the Messiah (Berach. 57 a)

Star out of
Jacob

17 "I see Him,
but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out
of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the
brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

18 "And Edom
shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a
possession, While Israel does valiantly.

19 Out of Jacob
One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city."
Numbers 24:17-19

Balak king of
Moab,
paid Balam to curse Israel. Balam, under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit proclaimed blessing on Israel. He foretold the
coming of Messiah and the success of Israel against their
enemies in the time of Messiah’s rule.

(Matt. 2:2, Luke
1:33,78; Rev. 22:16)

In Num.
xxiv. 17 Balaam's prediction of the Star and Sceptre is
referred to the Messiah in the Targum Onkelos and the Targum
Pseudo-Jonathan, as well as in Jer. Taan. iv. 8; Deb. R. 1;
Midr. on Lament. ii. 2. Similarly verses 20 and 24
of that prophecy are ascribed in the Targum Pseudo-Jon. to the
Messiah.

(Edersheim)

A promised
Redeemer

25 For I know
that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

26 And after my
skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see
God,

27 Whom I shall
see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How
my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

Job one of the
oldest books refers to his resurrection and the coming of his
Redeemer (The Messiah) who would be his lag Ga'al, or
Kinsman-redeemer who
would restore his destroyed body so he will see the (Redeemer)
Messiah for himself.

(John
5:28-29;Gal. 4:4, Eph. 1:7,11,14)

Prophet Like
Moses

18 'I will raise
up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and
will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all
that I command Him.

19 'And it shall
be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My
name, I will require it of him. Deuteronomy 18:18-19

Israel
at Mt. Sinai request Moses speak to them rather then God
directly, God agreed. As Moses is about to depart from Israel,
God promises to send Israel one like Moses, who will require
Israel obedience to “the prophet”. Who would come and speak for
God, this would ultimately be fulfilled in Messiah who would be
greater then Moses. (John 5:45, 6:14,
7:40; Acts 3:22-23)

Declared Son of
God

Psalm 2

1 Why do the
nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of
the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

3 "Let us break
Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us."

4 He who sits in
the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall
speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep
displeasure:

6 "Yet I have
set My King On My holy hill of Zion."

7 "I will
declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.

8 Ask of Me, and
I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends
of the earth for Your possession.

9 You shall
break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces
like a potter's vessel.' "

10 Now
therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the
earth.

11 Serve the
Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son,
lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust
in Him.

In the 2nd
Psalm, the Messiah is clearly understood here from a rabbinical
perspective. This agrees with the Christian understanding, here
Messiah is declared the Son of God, to rule over the nations.
Verse 2, identifies the struggle between the earth and the
Anointed, translated xyXm
Mashiyach.

Verse 6,
establishes the rule of Messiah on the holy hill Zion. The
Messiah reigns on David’s throne over the nations. (Isaiah 9:7)

Verse 7, The
decrees King Messiah, the son of David, is His Son. This is in
accord with 2 Sam. 7:14 which declares the Descendent of David
would be the son of the God. Who will rule on David’s throne
forever.

Verse 8, The
nations will be under the dominion of Messiah who will rule the
nations with a rod of Iron. (Isaiah 11:4, Zech 9:10)

The kings and
judges of the earth are to tremble before the Messiah. Verse 12
requires submission to the Lord’s King Messiah by kissing the
Son, the nations are subject to his wrath and judgment.

Ps.
ii. as might be expected, is treated as full of Messianic
references. To begin with, Ps. ii. 1 is applied to
the wars of Gog and Magog in the Talmud (Berach. 7 b and
Abhod. Zarah 3 b), and also in the Midrash on Ps. ii.
Similarly, verse 2 is applied to the Messiah in Abhod.
Zach, u. s., in the Midrash on Ps. xcii. 11 (ed. Warsh. p. 70
b, line 8 from the top); in Pirqué de R. Eliez. c. 28 (ed.
Lemberg, p. 33 b, line 9 from top). In Yalkut (vol. ii.
par. 620, p. 90 a, line 12 from the bottom), we have the
following remarkable simile on the words, 'against God, and His
Messiah,' likening them to a robber who stands defiantly behind
the palace of the king, and says, If I shall find the son of the
king, I shall lay hold on him, and crucify him, and kill him
with a cruel death. But the Holy Spirit mocks at him, 'He that
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.' On the same verse the
Midrashon Ps. ii. has a curious conceit, intended to show that
each who rose against God and His people thought he was wiser
than he who had preceded him. If Cain had killed his brother
while his father was alive, forgetful that there would be other
sons, Esau proposed to wait till after his father's death.
Pharaoh, again, blamed Esau for his folly in forgetting that in
the meantime Jacob would have children, and hence proposed to
kill all the male children, while Haman, ridiculing Pharaoh's
folly in forgetting that there were daughters set himself to
destroy the whole people; and, in turn, Gog and Magog,
ridiculing the shortsightedness of all, who had preceded them,
in taking counsel against Israel so long as they had a Patron in
heaven, resolved first to attack their heavenly Patron, and
after that Israel. To which apply the words, 'against the Lord,
and against His Anointed.'

But to return Ps. ii.
4 is Messianically applied in the Talmud (Abhod. Z. u. s.).
Ps. ii. 6 is applied to the Messiah in the Midrash on
1 Samuel xvi. 1 (Par. 19, ed, Lemberg, p. 45 a and b),
where it is said that of the three measures of sufferings2
one goes to the King Messiah, of whom it is written (Is. liii.)
'He was wounded for our transgression.' They say to the King
Messiah: Where dost Thou seek to dwell? He answers: Is this
question also necessary? In Sion My holy hill (Ps. ii. 6).
(Comp. also Yalkut ii. p. 53 c.)

2. As to these three measures
of sufferings, and the share falling to the age of the Messiah
sea also the Midrash on Ps. ii. 7.

Ps.
ii. 7 is quoted as Messianic in the Talmud, among a
number of other Messianic quotations (Sukk. 52 a). There
is a very remarkable passage in the Midrash on Ps. ii. 7 (ed.
Warsh p. 5 a), in which the unity of Israel and the
Messiah in prophetic vision seems clearly indicated. Tracing the
'decree' through the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiograph, the
first passage quoted in Exod. iv 22: 'Israel is My first-born
son;' the second, from the Prophets, Is. lii. 13: 'Behold My
servants shall deal prudently,' and Is. xlii. 1: 'Behold My
servant, whom I uphold;' the third, from the Hagiographa, Ps.
cx. 1: 'The Lord said unto my Lord,' and again, Ps. ii. 7: 'The
Lord said unto Me, Thou art My Son,' and yet this other saying
(Dan. vii. 13): 'Behold, one like the Son of Man came with the
clouds of heaven.' Five lines further down, the same Midrash, in
reference to the words 'Thou art My Son,' observes that, when
that hour comes, God speaks to Him to make a new covenant, and
thus He speaks: 'This day have I begotten Thee' - this is the
hour in which He become His Son.

Ps.
ii. 8 is applied in Ber. R. 44 (ed. Warsh. p. 80 a)
and in the Midrash on the passage, to the Messiah, with the
curious remark that there were three of whom it was said 'Ask of
Me' - Solomon, Ahaz,3 and the Messiah. In the Talmud
(Shukk. 52 a) the same passage is very curiously applied,
it being suggested that, when the Messiah, the Son of David, saw
that the Messiah, the Son of Joseph,4 would be
killed, He said to the Almighty, I seek nothing of Thee except
life. To which the reply was: Life before Thou hadst spoken, as
David Thy father prophesied of Thee, Ps. xxi. 4.

3. The Midrash gives two very
curious explanations of his name.

4. On the twofold Messiah, or
rather the device of the Jews on this subject, see in the text
of the chapter. I cannot but suspect that the words 'Son of
Joseph' in the Talmud are a later and clumsy emendation, since
what follows evidently applies to the Son of David.
(Edersheim)

Throne of David

12 "When your
days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up
your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will
establish his kingdom.

13 "He shall
build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of
his kingdom forever.

2 Samuel 7:13-14

(Jeremiah 23:5,
Isaiah 9:7)

Nathan
proclaimed to David, that his descendent, Son of David, would
have an eternal throne ruling on the throne of David. For this
reason the Messiah is understood to be a descendent of King
David, and a Son of Man. Jesus was a descendent of King David
through Mary. (Matthew 15:22, Mark 12:37, Luke 3:31)

Hand’s Feet
Pierced

For
dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has
enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; Psalm 22:16

The two pictures
of Messiah are presented in scripture one suffering, the other
conquering. One particular characteristic presented in the
Hebrew scriptures is the pierced messiah. Zechariah 12:10,
Isaiah 55:5. This was fulfilled on the cross, when the hands
and feet of Jesus were pierced to hang him to the wood.
(Matthew 27:31,35-36)

Ps.
xxii. 15 (16 in the Hebrew). There is a similarly
remarkable application to the Messiah of this verse in Yalkut.

(Edersheim)

Mocked and
Insulted

7 All those who
see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head,
saying,

8 "He trusted in
the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He
delights in Him!"

Psalm 22:7-8

This scene was
fulfilled 1000 after it was written by David, as the Son of
David hung on a cross. The chief priest, elders and scribes
repeated these words about Jesus, fulfilling the words of
David. The suffering servant was rejected and despised as
Isaiah foretold, along with David.

(Matthew
27:39-43, 45-59)

Finally in Ps. xxi.
7 (8 in the Hebrew), the expression 'king' is applied in the
Targum to the Messiah.

On the whole, then, it may be
remarked that Ps. xxi. was throughout regarded as Messianic.

(Edersheim)

Solders cast lot
for coat

They
divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast
lots Psalm 22:18

The mocking
solders cast lots for Jesus’ garment because it was seemless,
rather then rip it. (Luke 23:34, John 19:24)

Betrayed by a
friend

12 For it is not
an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one
who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could
hide from him.

13 But it was
you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance.

14 We took sweet
counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.

Psalm 55:12-14

Jesus picked 12
disciples, knowing that in the end one would betray him. Judas
as betrayer was actually foretold before it happened.

They
also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me
vinegar to drink.

Psalm 69:21

On the cross,
Jesus requested something to drink and the Roman solders gave
him Vinegar mixed with gall to drink.. Jesus tasted it and would
not drink, not long after this He died. This fulfilled another
picture of the suffering Messiah who was rejected.

(Mark 15:23,
John 19:28-30,Matthew 27:34)

Born in the city of
Bethlehem

2"But you,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands
of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be
Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From
everlasting."

3 Therefore He
shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has
given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to
the children of Israel. Micah 5:2-3

Jesus was born
in the city of Bethlehem,
fulfilling the location which Messiah was to come from. The
Messiah was to rule Israel,
and the world to come. Micah also tells about the nature of
Messiah, that his going forth are of old. (~dq Qedem)even from
everlasting(~lw[
`owlam)

Luke 2;14-15

The well-know passage, Micah v.
2, is admittedly Messianic. So in the Targum, in the Pirqé de R.
Eliez. c. 3, and by later Rabbis.

Verse 3 is applied in the Talmud to the fact that the Messiah was not to
come till the hostile kingdom had spread for nine months over
the whole world (Yoma 10 a), or else, over the whole land
of Israel (Sanh. 98 b). (Edersheim)

Born of a Virgin

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the
virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name
Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

The word
translated here in Hebrew is hml[`almah and could be translated virgin or “young maiden”. The
context of the prophecy is a sign being given to Ahaz king of
Judah
about his enemies the king of Israel and Syria. Before the
virgin (young maiden) conceives and has a son, both enemies of
Ahaz will be vanquished. The Septuagint translates the Hebrew
word as virgin

Rock of Offense

14 He will be as
a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To
both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And many
among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be
snared and taken."

Isaiah 8:14-15

Jesus as
Messiah, being both suffering servant and conquering King,
rejected by those of Judah
and Israel. They refused to accept him as Messiah then and now,
so Jesus is likened to a stone of stumbling for Israel and
Judah.

Romans 9:33, 1
Peter 2:8

Is. viii.14
is also Messianically applied in the Talmud (Sanh. 38 a)

(Edersheim)

Light out of
Darkness

1 Nevertheless
the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at
first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way
of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.

2 The people who
walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in
the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

Isaiah 9:1-2

Jesus born in
Bethlehem moved to Egypt with Mary and Joseph to escape Herod.
After Herod’s death they returned in settled in the city of
Nazareth, part of the area known as Galilee with a large gentile
population. It was here Jesus began his ministry. This refers
to the light of Messiah, shining in Galilee of the Gentiles.

(Matthew
4:14-16, Luke 2:23)

God with us

6 For unto us a
Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will
be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the
increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon
the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and
establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward,
even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

The nature of
Messiah is a major difference between the Jewish and Christian
understanding of Messiah. Is Messiah just a man of the highest
order, or is he God incarnate? The Jews might consider such a
remark blasphemous. Scripture regarded as Messianic clearly
teaches the Messiah is more then just a man, but God in human
flesh. Not only is Messiah called Son of God (Psalm 2:7, 2 Sam.
7:14) but he is called Mighty God in Isaiah 9:6.

Verse 6,
declares his humanity by saying a “Child is born”, hence son of
man. Then the verse goes on to demonstrate he is the son of
God, by saying a “Son is given”. The names assigned to Messiah
are “Mighty God”, “Everlasting Father” and “Prince of Peace”.

Verse 7, by
connects the “Throne of David” which clearly defines this verse
as Messianic. Since the Messiah rules the nations and sits on
David’s throne, this is without doubt referring to the Messiah.

Is. ix. 6 is expressly applied to the Messiah in the Targum, and there is a
very curious comment in Debarim R. 1 (ed. Warsh., p. 4 a)
in connection with a Haggadic discussion of Gen. xliii. 14,
which, however fanciful, makes a Messianic application of this
passage - also in Bemidbar R. 11.

Verse 7, 'Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end,' has already been referred to in our comments on Num. vi.
26

(Edersheim)

The Deaf hear
and the Blind See

In that day the
deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind
shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

19 The humble
also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor among
men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:18-19

Contrary to
Maimonides who says nothing extraordinary will happen in the
time of Messiah, Isaiah teaches clear signs of healing. The
blind will see and the deaf hear. Jesus fulfilled both of these
miracles during his ministry period, when he presented Himself
to the nation of Israel.

(Matt. 5:3;
11:5; John 9:39)

Light to the
Gentiles

6 Indeed He
says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To
raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones
of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That
You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' "

7 Thus says the
Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man
despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of
rulers: "Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And
He has chosen You."

8 Thus says the
Lord: "In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of
salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As
a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to
inherit the desolate heritages;

9 That You may
say to the prisoners, 'Go forth,' To those who are in darkness,
'Show yourselves.' "They shall feed along the roads, And their
pastures shall be on all desolate heights.

10 They shall
neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike
them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the
springs of water He will guide them.

11 I will make
each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated.

12 Surely these
shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west,
And these from the land of Sinim."

Isaiah 49:6-12

2000 years ago,
when Jesus was crucified, few in the world knew about the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Most people in the world were pagan,
worshipping the gods of their fathers Greek, Babylonian and
Roman and other varieties.

Only with
spread of Christianity over the last 2000, years has the world
come to know the God of Israel. This light to the nations (ywg
Gowy) This was fulfilled with Jesus Christ, as
Christianity eventually spread throughout the pagan world.

Verse 6. The
Messiah here is referred to as “My Servant” (Isaiah 52:13). He
will raise and restore Jacob. He also will be a light to the
Gentiles. No Jew, other then Jesus could be given credit for
exposing the Gentile world to the God of Truth, the God of
Israel. In him alone is God’s salvation called “My salvation”
here.

Verse 7. The
servant here is identified as “Him whom man despises” The
suffering servant of Isaiah 53. “Him whom the nation abhors”
Jesus was rejected and continues to rejected and abhorred by the
nation of Israel. 700 years before he was born, Isaiah
proclaimed this. King and princes will in the future worship
the Messiah, this is also reflected in the hidden Messiah of
Isaiah 52:13-15, who after his humiliation will be exalted.

Verse 8, the Messiah is the basis of the New Covenant,
Jeremiah 31:31 which Israel
will receive once they acknowledge Yeshua as Messiah. This
covenant now has been extended to the Gentile nations (ywg
Gowy)

Verse 12.. mentions this salvation going to land of China.
“Sinim” is identified as the China by some translators.

Is. xlix.
8. There is a remarkable comment on this in Yalkut on the
passage, to the effect that the Messiah suffers in every age for
the sins of that generation, but that God would in the day of
redemption repair it all (Yalk. ii. p. 52 b).

Is. xlix.
9 is quoted as the words of the Messiah in Yalkut (vol. ii. p.
52 b).

Verse 10 is one of the passages referred to in the Midrash on Lamentations,
quoted in connection with Is. xi. 12.

Verse 12 has already been noticed in our remarked on Ex. xii. 2.

(Edersheim)

Scourged and Spat upon

I
gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who
plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and
spitting.

Isaiah 50:6

Another graphic
image of the humiliation received by Messiah before he was
crucified. He was beat by the Roman and Herodian guards.

Matt 26:67;
27:26, 30; Mark 14:65;
15:15,19; Luke 22:63-65; John 19:1

Exalted after
suffering

13 Behold, My
Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled
and be very high.

14 Just as many
were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any
man, And His form more than the sons of men;

15 So shall He
sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For
what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had
not heard they shall consider.

Isaiah 52:13-15

The most vivid
picture of the “Suffering Servant” Messiah is in the Isaiah
52:13 to 53:12 Specific qualifiers give details about an
individual who will be “Very high” but first he will be marred
and suffer.

He will be God’s
servant.

• My Servant
(Is. 52:13)

• My righteous
Servant (Is. 53;11)

He will be
exalted in the Earth

• He shall be:
exalted (Is 52:13)

• extolled (Is
52:13)

• Very high. (Is
52:13)

• He sprinkle
many nations (Is. 52:15)

• Kings shall
shut their mouths at Him (Is. 52:15)

He will be
beaten physically

• His visage was
marred more than any man

• His form more
than the sons of men

His identity
will be revealed to certain people

Verse 13 is applied in the Targum expressly to the Messiah. On the words 'He
shall be exalted and extolled' we read in Yalkut ii. (Par. 338,
p. 53 c, lines 7 &c. from the bottom): He shall be higher
than Abraham, to whom applies Gen. xiv. 22; higher than Moses,
of whom Num. xi. 12 is predicated; higher than the ministering
angels, of whom Ezek. i. 18 is said. But to Him there applies
this in Zech. iv. 7: 'Who art thou, O great mountain?' 'And He
was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our
iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and
with His stripes we are healed.' R. Huma says, in the name of R.
Acha: All sufferings are divided into three parts; one part goes
to David and the Patriarchs, another to the generation of the
rebellion (rebellious
Israel), and the third to the King Messiah, as it is written
(Ps. ii. 7), 'Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.'
Then follows a curious quotation from the Midrash on Samuel, in
which the Messiah indicates that His dwelling is on MountZion, and that guilt is
connected with the destruction of its walls.

In regard to Is. liii. we
remember, that the Messianic name of 'Leprous' (Sanh. 98 b)
is expressly based upon it. Is. liii. 10 is applied in
the Targum on the passage to the Kingdom of the Messiah.
(Edersheim)

Suffers and dies
for sins

Isaiah 53

1 Who has
believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?

2 For He shall
grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry
ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There
is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised
and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and
we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has
borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him
stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by
His stripes we are healed.

6 All we like
sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own
way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was
oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He
was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its
shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

8 He was taken
from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His
generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For
the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

9 And they made
His grave with the wicked-But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His
mouth.

10 Yet it
pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When
You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He
shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in His hand.

11 He shall see
the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My
righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their
iniquities.

12 Therefore I
will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide
the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto
death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore
the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53:1-12

• Who has
believed our report? (Is.53:1)

• to whom has
the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Is. 53:1)

His true
identity is hidden

• many were
astonished at you (Is.52.14)

• what had not
been told them they shall see ( 52.15)

• what they had
not heard they shall consider (52:15)

He will be
rejected and despised by the people

• He is despised
and rejected by men (Is 53:3)

• He was
despised, and (Is 53:3)

• We did not
esteem Him. (53:3)

• we hid, as it
were, our faces from Him (Is 53:3)

He will be a
Man, a descendent of the human race.

• A Man of
sorrows (Is 53:3)

He will suffer
at the will of God.

• sorrows and
acquainted with grief (Is 53:3)

• He was
oppressed (Is 53:7)

• He was
afflicted (Is 53:7)

• Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise Him (Is 53;10)

We are told how
this individual we intercede on our behalf.

• He has borne
our grief’s (Is. 53:4)

• And carried
our sorrows (Is. 53:4)

• He was wounded
for our transgressions, (Is 53:5)

• He was bruised
for our iniquities; (Is 53:5)

• The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, (Is 53:5)

• By His stripes
we are healed. (Is 53:5)

• The Lord has
laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Is. 53:6)

• He bore the
sin of many, (Is 53;12)

• And made
intercession for the transgressors. (Is. 53:12)

He will also
die.

• For He was cut
off from the land (Is. 53:8)

• they made His
grave with the wicked (Is 53:9)

• the rich at
His death (Is. 53:9)

• He poured out
His soul unto death, (Is 53:12)

He will die with
the wicked

• they made His
grave with the wicked (Is 53:9)

He will be
buried with the rich

• the rich at
His death (Is. 53:9)

He will be
Righteous and Sinless

• He had done no
violence (Is. 53:9)

• Nor was any
deceit in His mouth. (Is. 53:9)

• My righteous
Servant shall justify many (Is. 53;11)

He will be
rewarded

• I will divide
Him a portion with the great (Is. 53:12)

http://www.truthnet.org/ChristianityApologetics/11JesusLordorLiar

7

He will reward

• He shall
divide the spoil with the strong (Is 53:12)

Intercessor for
the helpless

15 So truth
fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then
the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no
justice.

16 He saw that
there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own
righteousness, it sustained Him.

Isaiah 59:15-16

The helpless
condition of humanity is identified in Isaiah 59. Man is without
hope. There is no “Man” capable of restoring humanity,
therefore God Himself in the person of Messiah entered the world
of man in human flesh. Here (Verse 16) and in Isaiah 53:1
identified as the “Arm” of the Lord. God himself would
intercede on our behalf and become our Redeemer and Savior.

Similarly chap. lix. 15 is
applied to Messianic times in Sanh. 97 a, and Midr. on
Cant. ii. 13; and verse 19 in Sanh. 98 a.

Verse 17 is applied to Messianic times in Pesiqta, ed. Buber, p. 149
a. Verse 20 is one of the passages mentioned in
the Midrash on Lamentations quoted above. (See Is. xi. 12.)
Is. lix. 19, 20, is applied to Messianic times in Sanh. 98
a. In Pesiqta 166 b it is similarly applied, the
peculiar form (plene) in which the word Goel
(Redeemer) is written being taken to indicate the Messiah as the
Redeemer in the full sense. (Edersheim)

A New Covenant

31 "Behold, the
days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah

32 not according
to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My
covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, F23
says the Lord.

33 "But this is
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and
write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people.

34 "No more
shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the
least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will
forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Jeremiah
31:31-34

Israel
and Judah was promised a New Covenant, to replace the Mosaic
Covenant, which was broken by Israel. (Verse 32). This covenant
would be written in the minds and hearts of Israel,
and correspond to the forgiveness of sins. When Israel and
Judah rejected the Messiah, this covenant was extended to the
Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6). In the future when Israel is restored,
they will receive this covenant.

The church now
operates under Israel’s New Covenant, which one day will be
fulfilled in the days of King Messiah, when the rejected
Suffering Messiah is exalted and extolled as Isaiah 52:13-15 is
fulfilled.

24 "Seventy
weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To
finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make
reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting
righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the
Most Holy.

25 "Know
therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the
command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall
be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

26 "And after
the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for
Himself;

Daniel 9:24-26a

Daniel in 539
B.C. is praying for his people, the Jews to be restored to the
Land of Israel following the Persian defeat of Babylon. Gabriel
is sent to answer Daniel’s prayer regarding his people,
Jerusalem and the Temple. Gabriel informs Daniel a 490-year
period (70 x 7) has been determined on his people (The Jews) and
his city (Jerusalem).

Gabriel
informs Daniel that the Messiah will be killed after a 483-year
period (69x7). Following this the Temple and Jerusalem will be
destroyed again (A.D. 70)

This prophecy
foretold to the day the Messiah would be cut off and killed by
Jewish authority.

Destruction of
Jerusalem
and the Temple Following Messiah Death

26 "And after
the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for
Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with
a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Daniel 9:26

The Messiah is
not cut off for himself, but for others as he dies for the sins
of Mankind, bringing salvation to the gentiles.

Following the
Messiah’s death, Jerusalem
and the Temple would be destroyed by a people. This occurred in
70 A.D. under the Romans.

(Matthew 24:1)

Dan. ix.
24. In Naz. 32 b it is noted as that referred to the time
when the second Temple was to be destroyed. So also in Yalkut,
vol. ii. p. 79 d, lines 16&c. from the bottom

(Edersheim)

Enters Jerusalem
on a donkey, rules the nations

9 "Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having
salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a
donkey.

10 I will cut
off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The
battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the
nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, And from the
River to the ends of the earth.'

Zechariah 9:9-10

Here in
Zechariah we see the two pictures of Messiah presented side by
side separated by the first and second coming.

Verse 9. In the
first coming, King Messiah enters Jerusalem on donkey, he is then rejected and killed by Israel,
fulfilling the role of suffering servant. (Isaiah 53, 49:7,
Daniel 9:26)

Verse 10.
Following the gathering of the nations against Jerusalem, King
Messiah returns in glory and power and establishes his kingdom
over the earth. Fulfilling, “His dominion shall be from sea to
sea”.

(Matt 21:4-5;
Mark 11:9-10;
Luke 20:38; John 12:13-15)

Verse 9. The Messianic application of this verse in all its parts has
already repeatedly been indicated. We may here add that there
are many traditions about this ass on which the Messiah is to
ride; and so firm was the belief in it, that, according to the
Talmud, 'if anyone saw an ass in his dreams, he will see
salvation' (Ber. 56 b). The verse is also Messianically
quoted in Sanh. 98 a, in Pirqé de R. Eliez. c. 31, and in
several of the Midrashim.

On verse 10 see our
remarks on Deut. xx. 10

(Edersheim)

Sold for 30
pieces of Silver

12 Then I said
to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if
not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of
silver.

13 And the Lord
said to me, "Throw it to the potter"-that princely price they
set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them
into the house of the Lord for the potter.

Zechariah
11:12-13

Judas agreed to
betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the cost of a slave. This
transaction was foretold 520 years before Jesus was born in the
book of Zechariah. After Jesus was betrayed Judas tried to
return the money to the Priests, they rejected his money since
it was blood money. He threw it to them in the Temple and
killed himself.

The money was
used to buy a potters field, to bury the dead.

Jesus

(Matt 26:14-15)

Zech. xi.
12 is Messianically explained in Ber. R. 98, but with this
remark, that the 30 pieces of silver apply to 30 percepts, which
the Messiah is to give to Israel.

(Edersheim)

Body pierced

"And I will pour
on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the
Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom
they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his
only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Zechariah 12:10

In Zechariah 12,
the end-times battle is pictures as the nations gather against
Jerusalem and the Jews. In this final scene, God speaking first
person describes Himself as “Me whom they pierced”. These marks
correspond the suffering Messiah who was pierced (Psalm 22:16,
Isaiah 53:5)

John 19:34, 37

Zech. xii.
10 is applied to the Messiah the Son of Joseph in the Talmud (Sukk.
52 a), and so is verse 12, there being, however, a
difference of opinion whether the mourning is caused by the
death of the Messiah the Son of Joseph, or else on account of
the evil concupiscence (Yetser haRa).

(Edersheim)

Coming of Elijah

5 Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord.

Malachi 4:5

Two people in
scripture never died, one was Elijah who was taken up into
heaven, to return at a future point. Before the “Great and
dreadful day” Elijah returns to restore Israel
into a state of preparedness to receive the Messiah.

At his first
coming, King Messiah, Jesus, had John the Baptist fulfill the
role of Elijah. He came in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Matt 11:14;
17:10-12

Verse 5 is, of course, applied to the forerunner of the Messiah. So in many
places, as in the Pirqé de R. Eliez. c. 40; Debarm R. 3; in the
Midrash on Cant. i. 1; in the Talmud, and in Yalkut repeatedly.8

8. From the above review of Old
Testament passages, all reference to sacrifices has been
omitted, because, although the Synagogue held the doctrine of
the vicariousness and atoning character of these sacrifices, no
mention occurs of the Messiah in connection with them.

To the above passages we add
some from the Apocryphal Books, partly as indicating the views
concerning the Messiah which the Jews had derived from the Old
Testament, and partly because of their agreement with Jewish
traditionalism as already expounded by us. These passages must
therefore be judged in connection with the Rabbinical ideas of
the Messiah and of Messianic days. It is in this sense that we
read, for example, the address to Jerusalem, Tobit xiii. 9
to the end. Comp. here, for example, our quotations on
Amos ix. 11. (Edersheim)

Messiah comes
before 2nd Temple Destroyed

1 "Behold, I
send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And
the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even
the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He
is coming," Says the Lord of hosts.

2 "But who can
endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap.

3 He will sit as
a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of
Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to
the Lord An offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:1-3

After the first
Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., it took
70-years before the second temple was completed in 516 B.C.
Malachi the prophet was the last prophet of the inspired canon
who wrote about 420 B.C. In verse 1, we read, “The Lord whom
you seek, will suddenly come to His Temple”, this verse needed
to be fulfilled before the destruction of the Second Temple in
A.D. 70.

After A.D.
the “The Lord” could not come to his Temple, because there was no Temple. In
Matthew 11:10, this verse was applied to Jesus and John the
Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah.

(Matt 11:10;
Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27)

Malachi iii.
1 is applied to Elijah as forerunner of the Messiah in Pirqé de
R.Eliez. c. 29.

Verse 4. In Bemidbar R. 17, a little before the close (ed. Warsh. p. 69 a),
this verse seems to be applied to acceptable sacrifices in
Messianic days.

(Edersheim)

Maimonids
also applies this verse to Messiah, saying the Messiah will
purify the sons of Levi. (Verse 3)

The
Second Temple greater then the First Temple.

'The
glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,'
says the Lord of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,'
says the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:9

The second
temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, it was smaller and less
glorious then the first. God’s presence occupied the first (I
Kings 8) How could the second Temple be more glorious then the
first. Jesus says he was greater then the Temple (Matthew 12:6)